I'm not sure what sort of shoot to go for! How do I decide what to book with you?
As a personal branding photographer, I offer a variety of different types of shoots for my clients across a huge variety of different industries. I work with solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, as well as small to medium teams of people to create content for businesses that truly showcase my clients work, ethos and what they have to offer the world! In this blog post, I thought it would be helpful to have a little run through the different types of shoot that I offer and explain in a bit more detail what we might cover, how they might work and the types of content you can expect to see at the end of each, after a shoot with me. I'll also talk a bit about who they might be suitable for!
First up - Full Day Shoots
Full day shoots cover six hours and we can balance the focus of this in whatever way works best for your business. For example, if you are an freelancer, solo entrepreneur or leader of a small business who is after images at a variety of locations, with different vibes, different outfits and plenty of portraits to choose from and use across your channels, this might be a great idea for you. Perhaps you have other people you might want to bring in to be your 'clients' for a few shots (I've done this before where my clients have asked a friend to come along for a bit of time to create some images showing them working with people - particularly handy if you are a service based business).
Similarly, if you have a team of people you'd like to photograph, this is a great option as it will give everyone in the team a short while to be photographed, whilst also including some images of your team working doing their thing, perhaps alongside incorporating some product photography or 'stock' imagery too.
My full day shoot is one of the best ways to create a lot of content, quickly. It's perfect if you're looking to generate lots of imagery to use across a website, social media, marketing materials etc. A new business with a brand new website, or a business with a website being rebuilt from scratch would benefit hugely from a full day shoot. Creating a suite of cohesive imagery of people. products and other details to tie a brand and website together is the perfect way to elevate any brand and hammer home a brand's identity, and a full day shoot allows you to create this.
Businesses with a wide variety of products will also find the full day shoot useful. Across six hours we can focus on product photography but also build in some 'instagrammable' content or additional content for websites that don't just say 'this is my product'. More styled shots of your product being used or in situ is also something we can cover in a full day session, as well as finding time to take some images of you in your business too (your 'About' page is so important!)
As with all my clients we have a video call in advance of the shoot to run through a plan for the content we'll create, where we'll go and what we'll do across your shoot time. I'll get to know your business and offer any ideas I have to help you get the most out of your shoot, and also advise you on what to bring/wear. You can tell me all your brilliant ideas and we'll get a plan of action together.
In summary, a full day shoot could be for you if you tick one of these boxes:
- you have a small to medium team and want to showcase your people in the form of headshots but also doing their thing and working in your business
- you're new businesses who are just starting out and need to generate content from scratch
- you're rebranding or rebuilding your website and need a full and fresh set of imagery to cover all bases
- your business has a lot of products that need photographing
- you are an individual who wants to cover lots of locations with lots of outfit changes to give several different vibes across the content
- you're a service based business and you need to show your clients who you are
Have a little look below at a Full Day Shoot I worked on for Hall & Co Event Design.
Next up - Half day shoots
A half day shoot is fairly self explanatory here - it's half the length of a full day shoot! Across a total of 3 hours of my photography time, we will cover a selection of imagery and content creation which is specific to you and your business needs. You might be an individual after one or two different types of locations, (or one location with lots of potential, like a cool co-working space or similar), you might need a few flatlays, a few stock images and a couple of outfit changes. Essentially, you can select a couple of areas you might want to focus on - some portraits of you, some pictures of your products, some flatlays or stock imagery, and create a great selection of images for you to work with. The quantity won't be as high as with a full day shoot but it's plenty for people who need to focus on one or two areas.
As with my Full Day shoot, we have a video chat or a call in advance of the day to run through your business, your requirements and plan our three hours to a T so there's no time wasted!
A half day shoot could be the one for you if:
- it's been ages since you had a shoot and you need a good update of your imagery for your website and social media
- you need plenty of new content for your instagram, from flat lays to personal branding portraits
- you want some fresh images in one or two locations
- you want to focus on a small selection of new products or a new range you're launching
- you're a service based business and you need to show your clients who you are
Take a look at Betty & Bird Jewellery's Half Day shoot.
Let's talk about Portrait Sessions
The next type of shoot I offer is a one hour portrait session. There's not as much flexibility in these shoots as there is with Full or Half day shoots (we only have an hour, after all!) but they are a brilliant way of updating your imagery, giving you a bit more fresh variety of shots for you to use across your channels. If you're a freelancer, who just needs a selection of photos to show your face on socials from time to time, and to populate that all important 'About Me' page, then this could be right up your street.
These sessions tend to take place in and around one location, perhaps a town centre, in and around a building that provides some variety, a park or other open space, or potentially your home if you have space - it all depends on what works for you and most importantly your brand and business. It's possible to do an outfit change, (or maybe two if it's just a change of top - layering is your friend here!) but we won't cover an extensive wardrobe, any products, flatlays or you 'doing your thing' in business, it's purely headshot/portrait focussed.
A Portrait Session might be your bag if:
- you're a product focussed business, but you need some shots to show who you are on your socials and your 'About' page on your website
- you've worked with me before and you need some updated imagery (New haircut? Don't wear glasses anymore? Book a portrait session!)
- one location works for you (we'll still move about to get you some variety)
- it's your first time having a branding shoot and you're a bit nervous about committing to a full/half day and having my camera pointed at you for that long!
Below you can see some of the images I shot for Annie at Coco Grey Jewellery during her Portrait session.
How about the Post and Shoot package?
My post and shoot package is great because you get fab new content without even having to leave your house (except to get to the post office!). With the Post and Shoot option, you send me your products that you'd like photographed, they arrive with me, I unpack them, marvel at how lovely they are, photograph them, and then send them back to you. This is ideal for businesses who make or sell smaller items (I'm not putting your motorbike or on my flatlay boards, sorry) like stationery, paper products, jewellery, craft kits, small home décor items, cakes, biscuits, toiletries, the list is pretty endless.
I have a selection of backdrops and flatlay boards which I can use to help bring your products to life and make them look their best. We can collaborate on a call or message chat in advance of when I work on your items to make sure we get the best from your session. I'll ask you to send me some ideas of what look you're hoping to achieve. You can choose your backdrops (or leave it up to me if you're not sure). I also ask that you send me any props, nik naks or random items that you'd like me to include in the photos, or we can discuss budget if you'd like me to source them (fresh flowers, food or similar things that are hard to post).
A Post and shoot session would be ideal for you if
- you are a 'maker' and create amazing stuff that is small and easily post-able
- you've just launched a new product or range that you need photographed for your website and/or socials
- you love to showcase your work via flatlays and macro shots of details
- you don't mind handing creative control to me after we've had a briefing session
Have a little look at some of Pink Peony Weddings gorgeous stationery that she asked me to photograph in a post and shoot commission recently.
So what's a mini shoot? How do they work?
Another option for branding photography, and specifically for branding portraiture, are my mini shoots. These take place across two locations over two days, twice a year (usually around April and October). For a flat fee, each session is 20 minutes long and includes a gallery of 12 images from which you can choose 2 to have as high resolution images (or you have the option of purchasing them all too).
Mini shoots are short but sweet, giving you a small variety of shots of you looking brilliant, in a cool location. It is the most affordable way to get brand photos and is also a great option if you're feeling a bit nervous about having your photo taken or aren't too sure what to expect.
Mini shoots take place at a fixed location and date, so you have no flexibility in customising what we do or the location we work at to fit your brand, it's a bit more of a 'one size fits all' option - however I do try to work across two different locations to give you some choice and variety (one in a park/woodland, one in a town or city).
Mini shoots could be the best option for you if:
- you need one or two images for your website or LinkedIn profile
- you don't mind having no flexibility over location, and having no outfit changes
- you're dipping your toe in the world of branding photography and want to see what it's all about
- you're a bit nervous about having your photo taken and a full shoot feels like it might be too much to start with
Here's a selection of shots from mini sessions!
Finally, the Annual Commission!
The final option for working with me is the Annual Commission. I usually work with several people across the year who need regular refreshes to their content and imagery, different types of content, product imagery, flatlays or seasonal content. The Annual Commission takes place across 12 months, and consists of 4 separate Half Day shoots. These can be in different locations with different focusses, themes, priorities, all depending on what you need from your imagery.
Some of my clients choose to have four similar shoots, but across different seasons of the year, so perhaps one in springtime, one in summer, one during the autumn when the leaves are all gorgeous colours, and one at Christmas to give them some wintery or festive themed content. Of course, during these sorts of shoots we always create more evergreen content that can be used at any time of the year, but I think it's really important (especially when you're very active on social media) to use seasonal content where you can. For example, posting a photo of you wearing a big winter coat and a scarf would feel a bit strange on your social media in the middle of a heatwave in August!
Another reason clients opt for the Annual Commission is that they may have a regular influx of new products lined up for the year, which we can photograph regularly across the year. New lines of clothing, new stationery sets, new cake designs, a new online course - whatever it is that you're working on, booking an annual commission is a more affordable way to ensure that you always have fresh content to connect with your audiences and sell your products and services.
One alternative way you can look at an annual shoot commission is that you could focus on one 'type' of shoot each time. For example, we could initially focus on product shots and flatlays, then for the next shoot, prioritise personal branding photography and portraiture of you and/or your team. The next shoot could focus on you working in your business and doing your thing, whether that's in a workshop, studio or with clients, and then the final shoot might focus on one more session that covers one of the above, depending on how your audience responds to the content we've been creating together, or if you particularly love or prefer one style of shoot over another. Really flexibility is the key here and we can plan ahead and work together to create whatever it is your business needs. The other thing to say about the annual commission is that it doesn't have to take place across the whole year. If you wanted to do your four shoots closer together to generate more content in one go, this is also possible, pending my availability.
An Annual Commission might be the best bet for your business if:
- You need lots of content regularly throughout the year
- you like the idea of generating seasonal content that will work well on social media throughout the year
- you regularly have new products that need photographing to help you sell them
- you have a large suite of products or offerings that we can't cover in a full day shoot
I worked with Miss Estruch Biology for an annual commission in 2022, take a look at a small selection of the imagery we created for her during that time.
In conclusion...
In conclusion, there are so many options for your branding photography and for choosing the right option for you and your business. Whether you're just starting out, or you've been in business for a while and need an image refresh, there is an option for you across all the services that I offer.
If you'd like to get in touch to book in one of my shoot options, or if you're not sure which might work best for your business and would like to chat it through, please get in touch. I'd love to hear from you and to hear all about your business!
